On Tuesday the fire sale began in Indianapolis, with the Colts trading Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner before the NFL trade deadline.
But the deals may not end there.
On Wednesday morning wide receiver Josh Downs requested a trade, and the WR should have no shortage of suitors on the open market.
Here are five teams that should pick up the phone.
When the Colts swung a pair of trades Tuesday, first sending guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks and then trading DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers, two other players jumped into online speculation including Downs.
And the Kansas City Chiefs were immediately linked to the wide receiver.
This makes a great deal of sense. The Chiefs, despite Sunday night’s loss in Seattle, look like they’re back among the top teams in the AFC, and the acquisition of Kenneth Walker III this past offseason gave that running game a much-needed boss.
However, the passing game could use some help, which seems surprising considering the return of Patrick Mahomes. But with Tyquan Thornton lost for the season due to injury, and Rashee Rice still working his way back from a hamstring injury suffered against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4, adding a WR makes a lot of sense for the Chiefs.
Another team plagued by injuries in the WR room?
The list of receivers currently on Injured Reserve can be formed as a planting group for an NFL team. DeMarcus Robinson, D’Zhaun Stribling, and Ricky Pearsall are gone, and Brandon Aiyuk remains out of the league following a strange offseason. And while Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel are on the active roster, both have dealt with injuries this season.
San Francisco signed veteran Brandin Cooks to the practice squad at the end of September, and he was promoted to the active roster before Week 4, but for a team with its eyes on another deep playoff run, Downs will give Kyle Shanahan another top talent in the WR room, and give quarterback Brock Purdy a much-needed target in the passing game.
While the first two teams have positional needs due to injuries, the Atlanta Falcons are an intriguing option because of the skillset of players on the roster, and what will help this team contend in the NFC South.
With Drake London and Kyle Pitts Sr., the Falcons have two big-bodied receivers on the outside. But finding the right combination of slot and Z-receiver options has become more difficult. Jahan Dotson is an option, as is Olamide Zaccheaus. Then there’s rookie Zachariah Branch, but he’s struggled in ball security, losing a pair of fumbles against the Chicago Bears in Week 6.
But Downs will give Atlanta an established weapon out of the slot, a great complement to what the Falcons can launch on the perimeter.
Having talked more about the scheme with the previous team, we returned to the idea of filling the roster after injuries.
The Commanders just confirmed Wednesday that Terry McLaurin has been placed on Injured Reserve after tearing his patellar tendon against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6, officially ending his season. The team had already announced that he would be out for the year after the San Francisco loss, but now it’s official.
Dyami Brown, Stefon Diggs, Antonio Williams, Treylon Burks, and Luke McCaffrey are the current options in the WR room, but the addition of Downs will give Jayden Daniels another target in the passing game. While the Commanders are currently at the bottom of the division with a 1-4-1 record, they’re just three games behind the Giants in the win streak, and with the Philadelphia Eagles struggling and the Dallas Cowboys enduring another up-and-down season, there’s no reason to punt this season in Washington.
Another team rumored to be in the market for WR help is the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Right now, rookie Germie Bernard and veteran DK Metcalf are Aaron Rodgers’ two main targets. Michael Pittman Jr. is currently on Injured Reserve with a foot injury — and reports out of Pittsburgh believe it could be an extended absence — and Roman Wilson is also on IR, though his finger injury could see him back for Week 10.
According to this piece from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen, the Steelers are one of the teams best suited for Downs, along with the Chiefs. Bowen describes Downs as someone who has “sudden footwork and range recognition to discover between the numbers [who] fits a team looking for a high-percentage target to win underneath and move the chains.”
Pittsburgh could be that place, what Bernard and Metcalf bring to the table.